The FCC and the Fairness Doctrine

Since the election of President Obama, many people have talked about the Fairness Doctrine and are scared to death that it would make a comeback from the dead. Many especially felt that when Mark Lloyd was appointed chairman of the FCC, that this doctrine was bound to make a comeback due to a paper that he authored about the politics of radio and how many stations are unbalanced. This especially in a liberal controlled government scares conservatives who have a handful of radio personalities among them Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, who clearly slant the story one way for better or for worse. This worry started in 2009, but it continues even through today.

The original Fairness Doctrine was put into place in 1949 under president Harry Truman. The Doctrine stated "controversial issues of public issues were required to be reported and that coverage of these issues needed to be done in a fair and balanced manner." In short, issues had to be seen from both the right and left side of the political spectrum. The doctrine remained in effect until 1987 until president Ronald Reagan ruled that the Fairness Doctrine went against free speech, and had the Supreme Court strike down the Doctrine. Many conservatives in what is generally seen is a liberal based media, are worried that under a Democrat majority government, that the Doctrine could see a rebirth and be used as a tool to strike down conservative talk radio. President Obama has said on the record that he is against the return of the Fairness Doctrine. Many on the right feel though that the appointment of Mark Lloyd is a move towards it. Mark Lloyd on the record has bashed Rush Limbaugh and said that he doesn't like conservative talk radio. Many worry that this could be a step of a secret plan to bring it back.

I personally don't think the Fairness Doctrine is coming back, even with Lloyd's past. For one it'd be a terrible move for President Obama politically, it would not only make conservatives mad, it would force his own side to report things on the right that they would previously not have reported. The Fairness Doctrine already failed once, there is no need to return to something that didn't work in the past. Lloyd was appointed in 2009, it's now 2011 and we've seen no more return to it than we did in 2009. I think we should keep an eye on it as citizens like we should with all aspects of our government, but I think we are ok for now.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/10/fccs-new-hire-targeted-conservative-radio-stations-writings/ and http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1880786,00.html